Since then, scientists have wrestled with one striking characteristic of lambda: Its estimated value of 10−122 in Planck units is “the smallest measured parameter in physics,” said Cumrun Vafa, a physicist at Harvard University. In 2022, while considering that almost unfathomable smallness with two members of his research team — Miguel Montero, now at Madrid’s… Continue reading In a ‘Dark Dimension,’ Physicists Search for Missing Matter
The Quest for Simple Rules to Build a Microbial Community
Then he found something more surprising. Ignoring the actual gene sequences, he looked directly at the molecular breakdown of a strain’s DNA. In the double helix of DNA, the four types of bases in the opposing strands are paired, with guanine (G) bound to cytosine (C) and thymine (T) bound to adenine (A). Unexpectedly, the… Continue reading The Quest for Simple Rules to Build a Microbial Community
The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife (Karen King, Walter Fritz, Forgery, Fraud, Hoax)
Podcast: Download MYS296: The 2012 announcement of a papyrus fragment called the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife caused a huge media sensation over the claim that Jesus did have a wife. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine what this fragment is, what it says, and whether it is an authentic, early Christian document. Get all new… Continue reading The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife (Karen King, Walter Fritz, Forgery, Fraud, Hoax)
Math’s ‘Game of Life’ Reveals Long-Sought Repeating Patterns
In 1969, the British mathematician John Conway devised a beguilingly simple set of rules for creating complex behavior. His Game of Life, often referred to simply as Life, unfolds on an infinite square grid of cells. Each cell can be either “alive” or “dead.” The grid evolves over a series of turns (or “generations”), with… Continue reading Math’s ‘Game of Life’ Reveals Long-Sought Repeating Patterns
Igniting an Appreciation for Abraham Lincoln in Children
Historians and the general public regularly rank Abraham Lincoln as America’s greatest president. There is little doubt that he is widely admired for the work he did to end slavery and preserve the Union. But beyond these two important points, most Americans know little else about Lincoln’s life. A 2013 poll by Participant found that… Continue reading Igniting an Appreciation for Abraham Lincoln in Children
Clashing Cosmic Numbers Challenge Our Best Theory of the Universe
What might they be? Perhaps a new fundamental force field, Hill said, or interactions among dark matter particles that we don’t yet understand, or new ingredients that aren’t yet part of our description of the universe. Some new physics models tweak dark energy, adding a surge of cosmic acceleration in the early moments of the… Continue reading Clashing Cosmic Numbers Challenge Our Best Theory of the Universe
Tiny Fossils Reveal Dinosaurs’ Lost Worlds
Enter the fossil gallery of a natural history museum, and you’re likely to encounter spectacular skeletons of some of the most manifestly awesome creatures ever to have walked our planet: dinosaurs. From towering sauropods and fearsome tyrannosaurs to tanklike ankylosaurs and horned ceratopsians, dinosaurs dominate our conceptions of the past. But to understand these animals… Continue reading Tiny Fossils Reveal Dinosaurs’ Lost Worlds
The Beltway Judge Hearing Trump Cases and Her Anti-Trump, Anti-Kavanaugh Husband
Shown: a study in Trump-related conflicts? Judge Florence Pan in 2022, sworn in as her husband, Democrat insider and Brett Kavanaugh accuser Max Stier, right, looks on. By Julie Kelly, RealClearInvestigationsJanuary 30, 2024 Washington glitterati assembled at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in October to celebrate federal employees making a difference… Continue reading The Beltway Judge Hearing Trump Cases and Her Anti-Trump, Anti-Kavanaugh Husband
New Theory Suggests Chatbots Can Understand Text
Artificial intelligence seems more powerful than ever, with chatbots like Bard and ChatGPT capable of producing uncannily humanlike text. But for all their talents, these bots still leave researchers wondering: Do such models actually understand what they are saying? “Clearly, some people believe they do,” said the AI pioneer Geoff Hinton in a recent conversation… Continue reading New Theory Suggests Chatbots Can Understand Text
New ‘Chicken from Hell’ Discovered
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Were dinosaurs already on their way out when an asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago, ending the Cretaceous, the geologic period that started about 145 million years ago? It’s a question that has vexed paleontologists like us for more than 40… Continue reading New ‘Chicken from Hell’ Discovered